YCLP 039: Dan Levy on Being With Jesus, Becoming Like Jesus and Doing the Things Jesus Did

Today on the podcast we welcome Dan Levy. Dan is a pastor in the San Fransico Bay area. He is married to Joy and together, they are expecting their first child. Dan and Joy have the awesome privilege of serving together as pastors at New Life Church and directing the New Life Leadership Insititute where they are passionate about developing leaders for a life of ministry in both the church and marketplace.

In this episode, we talk about transitioning into ministry, developing habits of prayer, and learning to live a life of ministry in the church and workplace

Welcome to episode 39of the Young Church Leaders Podcast with Grant Vissers!

Show Notes

Guest Links

Takeaways from the Episode

1. It’s All About Jesus

Dan brings up the point that it is all about Jesus multiple times. Where it becomes very evident in his life and ministry career is in surrendering his will to God’s while discerning where to go and begin ministry. As he said, sometimes you don’t know what the next step is until you take the next step – you can’t walk on water without stepping down into the water. As we lead, our lives need to be all about Jesus. He is the one who saved us, sustains us and sends us into ministry. As we lead, the challenge is to keep that fact in front of us. Many people end up going through transitions in ministry that require discernment and listening to God. As we navigate these transitions, we need to do so from a place of prayer and relationship with Jesus. In order to follow God’s will, we need to hear from God. And in order to hear from God, we need to spend time with God. That happens through a relationship with Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.

2. We Rest so that we can Work

In secular culture, it’s fairly well known that we “work for the weekend.” We work so that we can rest, play, relax, and enjoy life. You have to earn your rest. The same is not, or shouldn’t be true in the church. We need to rest in order that we can work to the best of our ability. Dan talks about Sabbath in this way – it is equal parts play and prayer. Sabbath doesn’t have to be boring or somber, it can be fun. But it also needs to be prayerful. Sabbath is how we orient our lives toward God and allow ourselves to find our strength in him.

3. Learning to Pray

Dan talks about learning to pray. The reality of ministry is that at the end of the day, it’s all about prayer. Prayer is the beginning, middle, and end. It is THE strategy. But, prayer is also hard. It’s a difficult habit to cultivate and discipline to learn. One really concrete thing Dan suggests is to think of prayer as time spent with Jesus. Don’t think about what you will pray, simply think about showing up. A great starting place is to listen to worship music. From there, you’ll learn to simply spend time with Jesus, and learn to listen for his voice.

About The Author

Grant Vissers serves as associate pastor at St. Paul’s Leaskdale north of Toronto, Canada. He has his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Grant is passionate about connecting with and helping other church leaders. He is married to Konnie, and together they enjoy hiking, camping, travelling and good music. In his spare time, Grant enjoys photography and exploring new places.